Game apparatus.



No. 636,257. Patented Nov. 7', I899. H. GIBBON & N. McKAY.

GAME APPARATUS.

(Application filed Sepia 12, 1898.)

(No Model.)

WITN l gmonS d "5 Malina pg BY 4M 1 /mormlws NITED STATES PATENT FFICQ GAM E APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,257, dated November '7, 1899.

Application filed September 12,1898. Serial No. 690,716. (No model.)

To all whom, zit may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY GIBBON and NEIL MOKAY, residents of Paterson, Passaic county, State of New Jersey, have invented a newancl Improved Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to game apparatus of that character wherein balls are employed, which balls are shot or rolled across a suitable table orbase-board with the aid of a billiard-cue or other suitable means.

The invention consists in a game apparatus embodying the novel arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters represent corresponding parts in the various views, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying our invention with parts broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail perspective View of one of the guard-supports. Fig. 4 is a like view of a modified form of guard-support.

In playing the game to which this invention relates an ordinary table or base-board A may be employed, and while a square ta ble or base-board is preferred an oblong table may be used. Upon the table and preferably at the center thereof is seated what we term a ball-receiving compartment B, which may be portable, and in the game is known as the fort. This compartment has an unobstructed interior and is adapted to contain a plurality of balls. The compartment may be of any suitable shape and is provided with a plurality of ball-receiving openings a, which are shown as oppositely disposed and opening toward each corner of a square table. The openings are in open communication with one another and are preferably situated at an equal distance from the center of the compartment. In addition to the ball-receivin g openings a the compartment may be provided with a plurality of ball-receiving openings 17 at that portion of the compartment which is represented in Fig. 1 of the drawings as the top thereof. These openings are preferably disposed in a different manner from the openings at, so as to bring an opening opposite to a corner of an oblong table or base-board when such a table or baseboard is used. It will be understood thatthe compartment B may be reversed, so that the openings a or b may be brought next to the table or base -board, accordingly as a square or oblong table is employed.

Surrounding the table is what we term a guard c, which preferably consists of a series of strings which are connected to guardsupports C'as, for instance, by being passed through openings 01 therein. These guardsupports may be variously formed. In Fig. 3 we have shown a detail view of one form of guard-support wherein a thumb-screw e is employed to securely clamp the support to each corner of the table or base-board A, and means are provided to support a small flag in position. From each of the guard-supports projects a cue-restf. The guard-support represented in Fig. 4 is made of Wire and is likewise provided with openings 01, a cue-rest f, and means 9 for supporting a fiagstafi": in place. In this construction, however, springfingers h are provided to take under the baseboard or table-top A to maintain the guardsupport in place, and when the cords or wires constituting the guard c are stretched around all the guard-supports the cords will prevent the supports from being withdrawn.

A plurality of balls 2' are provided, which balls are preferably divided into two groups of equal numbers, the balls of each group having marks or indications by which they may be readily distinguished from the others. For instance, the balls of one group may be of a blue color, whereas those of another group may be red in color, and these balls are known in the game as soldiers or men. A single ballj, which is distinguishable from all the others, is likewise provided. In the present instance this ball is made larger than the others and will not pass through the openings a bin the fort. The large ball is known in the game as the president. A billiard-cue, as represented at k, is employed by each player to shoot the balls from his respective corner across the table. It is obvious that the game is well adapted to be played upon the ordinary billiard-table, in which instance it is merely necessary to employ the compartment or fort B and the balls-t and j. The compartment or fort B may be made large enough to adapt it for use upon the ordinary billiard or pool table with billiard or pool balls.

Any suitable number of persons may play the game; but it is best adapted for four players divided into partners, who will play from opposite corners of the table. The object of the game is to see which set of partners can get their men into the fort first. The game is played in the following manner: Each player as it comes his turn to play will shoot one of his men or balls and will try to make itpass through one of the openings a (or b) in the fort and stay within it. By disposing the openings opposite to each other in the manner described this is rendered more difficult, inasmuch as a ball may pass in astraight line from the firing position through the openings to the outside of the fort. If the player fails to shoot his ball through an opening in the fort or if the ball passes out of the fort afterhaving been within it, the ball or man becomes a prisoner of the players opponents, and as such is kept near the corner of one of them. Vhen it becomes a players turn to shoot, he may, if he desires, use the presidentball to release his men taken as prisoners by theotherside. lhisisaccomplished byshooting the president-ball from the players corner of the table with an attempt to strike the prisoners at the opponents corner of the table. If the player succeeds in striking his own men taken as prisoners with the president-ball, then the prisoners are released and may be again taken by the player to shoot to the fort when it agaiu-comes his turn to play. If a player succeeds in driving one of his opponents balls from the fort in an attempt to lodge his own man therein, the ball which is dislodged becomes the players prisoner.

It will be seen that in playing the game of this invention a player is never barred from the game until either side has won, because even if all of a players men are taken prisoners he has a right to shoot the presidentball to recover them.

It will be observed that the upper surface of the table or base-board A is shown on the same plane throughout the entire extent thereof, and it is essential for the purposes of our invention that the portion of the baseboard contained within the ball receiving compartment shall not be depressed to any appreciable extent below the plane of that portion of the base-board adjacent to and outside of the ball-receiving chamber, so that the balls may readily pass into the chamber and out again.

Vhile we have shown and described with considerable detail one form of apparatus forming the subject-matter of our invention and the manner of playing the game, it is obvious that many changes may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. A reversible game-piece having an internal ball-receiving space therein at both ends and openings in the side walls of said piece at both ends, the openings in one end of the piece being differently arranged from the openings in the other end, whereby the device is adapted to be used on base-boards or tables of different shapes.

2. A reversible game-piece having an internal ball-receiving space therein at both ends and oppositely-arranged openings in the side walls of said piece at both ends, the openings in one end of the piece being differently arranged from the openings in the other end, whereby the device is adapted to be used on base-boards or tables of different shapes.

A game apparatus comprising a plurality of balls with means fordistinguishing the balls into a plurality of groups of equal number, a single ball which is distinguishable from all the others and an unobstructed baseboard on which said balls are adapted to be rolled and a compartment adapted to contain a plurality of balls and having an unobstructed interior, the side walls in said compartment having a plurality of oppositely-disposed ball-receiving openings through which the balls of the plurality of groups are adapted to pass said openings being in open communication with one another.

4. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of balls with means for distinguishing the balls into a plurality of groups of equal number, a single ball which is distinguishable from all the others, an unobstructed baseboard, the surface of which is in one plane throughout and on which said balls are adapted to roll, a removable guard surrounding said base-board to prevent the balls from rolling off, a portable compartment having side walls in which a plurality of oppositely-disposed ball-receiving openings are contained and means for projecting the balls across said base-board.

HENRY GIBBON. NEIL MCKAY.

Witnesses:

EUGENE EBLE, MAURICE BLooK. 

